Youth Parliament for Wales Update

I am delighted that over five thousand of you took time to tell us before the summer what you thought about our plans to establish a youth parliament for Wales. Some of the main things you all agreed on include;

• elections should be held to choose members of a youth parliament,
• members should be aged between 11-18,
• members should be elected for two years,
• the youth parliament should be independent from all political parties.

More details and the key findings can be seen below.

We discussed some options based on what you told us at a meeting at the end of September, and I am thrilled to announce that the Assembly Commission have agreed to establish a youth parliament for Wales.

The new parliament will be elected in November 2018.

We will continue to work in partnership with young people and youth organisations from across Wales to create a body led by young people that takes everything you told us into consideration.

Please feel free to contact the Youth Parliament project team on 0300 200 6189 / Delyth.lewis@assembly.wales if you’d like any more information.

Cofion
Llywydd

– 89% agreed that the organisation should be called ‘Welsh Youth Parliament’/ ‘Senedd Ieuenctid Cymru’.
– 96% agreed that the aim of the youth parliament should be ‘The youth parliament will give Wales’s young people a democratic voice at a national level and empower them to bring about change’.
– 88% believed elections should be held to choose members of the youth parliament.
– 85% agreed that the youth parliament should have 60 members, 40 to represent Wales’s electoral constituencies and 20 to represent specific groups.
– There was a mixed response to the proposed age range of youth parliament members, but almost two thirds agreed that members should be aged between 11 and 18 (65%).
– Almost three quarters of you (74%) believed that members should be elected for two years, and 81% agreed that members should be able to stand multiple times.
– 82% believed the youth parliament should be independent from all political parties.
– More than nine in ten young people (94%) believed the proposed responsibilities of the future youth parliament should be :
Investigate, debate and campaign on issues chosen by young people;
Listen to young people and represent their views;
Engage with Assembly Members;
Help children and young people understand how the National Assembly for Wales and the Wales Youth Parliament works;
Meet together at least twice every calendar year;
Report back to the young people it represents about its work and achievements on a regular basis.